Making the playoffs usually requires several winning streaks throughout a regular season. The teams high in the standings have all been on a win streak throughout the NBA season, some as high as 16 games by the Cleveland Cavaliers recently, which keeps them in the running for higher positioning. The Phoenix Suns have trouble stringing together any win streak to make them look like a playoff competitor. The only streaks they have been able to string together are several losing streaks when it comes to playing any of the teams in the top seven in any of the conferences.
The Suns are coming off a win against the Sacramento Kings at home, and their next opponent was a shorthanded Los Angeles Lakers team playing without superstar Lebron James. The Suns could not get the second win in a row to pull themselves closer to gaining the 10th seed in the play-in, falling to the Lakers at Crypto Arena 107-96. The Lakers were on a four-game losing streak coming into today’s contest, and playing the Suns has been the get-right game for many teams struggling to get back on track.
The Suns are also a team that makes mediocre players have All-Star-like performances that otherwise would never happen. The Lakers’ Jaxson Hayes scored 19 points and six rebounds, was a plus seven on the floor against the Suns bigs, and looked like he could not be stopped.
The game’s leading scorer was Luka Doncic, who makes his teammates better, gets going, and is hard to keep under wraps during a contest. Luka scored 33 points on 8 of 20 shootings but was a near perfect 13 of 14 from the free-throw line, and he nearly beat the Suns from the charity line by himself.
The Suns bench outscored the Lakers 28-15, but the Suns could not contain the Lakers starters. Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal were all in the minus department while on the floor, allowing the Lakers starters to score 92 points, 61 of them from two players.
Turnovers continue to plague the Suns, and the stars remain the main culprits of giving the ball to the other team. Durant and Booker had 8 of the team’s 14 turnovers, which is more than half, and the turnovers were the same caliber. A lack of strength with the ball, lazy passes in the passing lanes, and throwing the ball directly to the opposition have been the norm all season.
The Suns were coming off a blistering 24 three-point shooting performance against the Kings at home, but we all know that shooting will never translate from game to game, and it’s hard to duplicate back-to-back. They could only muster 9 made threes on 41 attempts, which, along with free throws, was the difference in the game.
The Suns’ next two games are pivotal in their quest for the 10th seed in the play-in. They have a glut of opponents after the Raptors and Bulls, both of which are home games they should win.
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